The Car Computer - An Integral Part of Today's Car [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

The Car Computer - An Integral Part of Today's Car [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

Small video about my car pc setup working together with Audi factory RNS-E navigation unit.

aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com Audi RNS-E injected with CAR PC + Touchscreen

The days when you could crawl under the car and fix this or that are long gone. Today cars are more complex and sophisticated than ever before; car computers have come to stay, in fact, most modern cars have more than 45 microprocessors ticking away inside it. These make it hard to repair your car yourself but it makes the car much easier to drive and service.

Is there really a need for so many car computers? This is a question often asked. There are many reasons why car manufacturers are installing so many microprocessors into cars. The first and maybe the most important reason is that there is a need to monitor and meet fuel economy and emissions standards.

Car computers are required for the superior diagnostics in the newer models of cars. Car manufacture and design have also become simpler and so has the electricals, all thanks to the microprocessors. The latest safety, convenience and comfort features in the cars all owe their existence to the tiny mic roprocessors inside the car.

So how is that car computers have become so integral to car design? Earlier, before the coming of stringent emission legislature, manufacturers were coming out with car engines which did not have microprocessors. But the new laws have ensured that car manufacturers complied with emissions norms, so advanced control systems were designed to regulate the fuel / air mix which help the catalytic convertor get rid of the pollutants.

The microprocessors in the engine control unit (ECU) which is the most dominant car computer are mostly used in engine control. In most ECUs, the closed-loop control is used. This system monitors the output and controls input into the system while monitoring the fuel efficiency and emissions output of the engine. This computer also collects data from other sensors, such as, the coolant temperature and the oxygen levels in the exhaust. The computer processes data collected and thousands of calculations are made every second. The values on tables are checked, the best spark timings obtained and the length of time the fuel injector is open is determined.

The new ECU mostly has a 32 bit, 40 MHz processor. This is, of course, much slower than your average 1000 MHz processor that the PC might have. The thing to remember is that the car computer is working a more competent code than the PC. Less than 1 MB memory is used by the code in the ECU while a PC would use about a 2 GB memory.

Wiring in cars has also been simplified with multiplexing. The old cars have wires from the switch to the device. Today, cars have more devices that require multiplex systems with modules. These modules have one or more microprocessors which control the output and inputs in a particular area in the vehicle and, therefore, needs to rationalize wiring. A good example is a car which has a lot of door controls; this car might have a door module. Some other cars come with power mirror, power window, p ower seat controls and power lock on the door. The difficulty would be to run so many wires to and from the doors. So you have a module on the driver's door which controls all the switches.

Related The Car Computer - An Integral Part of Today's Car Issues

Question by cutiepie83: Car Computers? Where is the computer located in a car? Best answer for Car Computers?:

Answer by AKA "Nathan"
computer? in... a car no i dont think there is there's a chip implanted that controls all electronical devices.

Answer by Stephen
Which computer are you talking about>>> the chip??

Answer by Alicia F
varies.. usually under the carpet on the passenger side floorboard. Under the dash. Make sure you know whar your doing if your going to be fiddling with one ok? Can really ruin your car if you dont.

Answer by Iknowthisone
What kind of car? And many vehicles have several computers. For instance some vehicles have an engine control comp.- a transmission control comp.-a body control comp.- an anti-lock brake comp.-an air bag control comp. as well as climate control computers so you need to be more specific.

[car computers]